The metabolism of beef tallow sucrose esters in rat and man

Abstract

Metabolic studies in rats with sucrose esters of beef tallow, given in a single oral dose of 5, 50 or 100 mg/kg, indicated that some 80–90% of the sucrose moiety was absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract. The disposition of radioactivity after the administration of [ 14C]sucrose tallowate suggested that the esters were hydrolysed before absorption, and no evidence was obtained for the accumulation of the esters in the adipose tissue of rats following repeated daily oral administration of [ 14C]sucrose tallowate. Analysis of the urine of human volunteers given either sucrose (10g) or sucrose tallowate (1 g) indicated the presence of only small amounts of sucrose (6–24ppm). Because of the apparent ease with which the esters are hydrolysed under physiological conditions to sucrose and the corresponding fatty acids, the use of these materials as additives to human foods would not appear to present a significant toxicological hazard.